


i want to hold your hand (and walk like this forever)

by silly_fitz



Series: home is where you are [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Earth-38, F/F, Fix-It, Fluff, Lots of Nyssara affection, Nyssa Lives, Nyssara start a new life in Earth 38, Post-Arrow S5, Post-Legends S2, Post-Supergirl S2, Time Travel, dimension hopping, time travel makes tenses awkward - please bear with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-01 19:04:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11492745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silly_fitz/pseuds/silly_fitz
Summary: The punishment for breaking time was Erasure from the timeline. Even if they eventually fixed the flow, Sara Lance would proudly spare her team and take the fall as Captain.But before she does, she needs to fix her greatest regret - Nyssa's death from the explosion of Lian Yu.At all costs, she must save Nyssa.or,Sara saves Nyssa from dying, and they move to Earth-38 with Kara's help to begin a new life together.





	i want to hold your hand (and walk like this forever)

**Author's Note:**

> My exhausted heart beats once again  
> My weak heart has found light again  
> I want to hold your hand and walk like this forever  
> Together with the person I love in a world just for the two of us  
> Those unforgettable memories during that long time  
> Throughout the laughter and the tears, the one who always believed in me was you.  
> \- 영원히 너와 꿈꾸고 싶다 (2009)

**JULY 2017, Earth-1**

Sara Lance had a lot of mistakes and a lot of regrets.

But even breaking time itself could never match the pain and guilt of leaving Nyssa to rot in that cell - of never again being the same Sara Lance that Nyssa had loved, the Sara that had died.

Sara had futilely longed for her incomparable presence in the arms of various women across time, even as she did her best to make up for the red in her ledger by protecting the timeline, only to learn that Nyssa had died in Lian Yu.

Cruel irony - the same island that brought her Nyssa had taken her beloved away.

 

 

 

Sara and her team broke time itself.

With great difficulty, they eventually managed to smooth its flow and return it to how it should be…

…but not without a hefty price.

Sara knows she is responsible. She holds herself accountable for all their actions as Captain, and she’ll gladly take the punishment for them. To her relief, her remaining team gets sent back to 2016 - memories erased, as if it had all never happened.

But Sara?

Sara will proudly take the fall.

Before she pays the ultimate price, however, she must fix her greatest regret:

Sara Lance _will_ save her beloved Nyssa.

 

 

 

**MAY 17, 2017 – 10 minutes before Lian Yu’s explosion, Earth-1**

Time is against her now.

Her endurance has just about run out, but she’s finally done it.

She has just stolen the Waverider back, among other things. The newly-established Council of Timelines had set it to be destroyed.  _Time must not be meddled with_ , they insisted.  _Never again_.

Sara understands that. She has seen the consequences of that time and again. But her plan has the same _spirit_ , if not the letter, of the rule. She will effectively erase herself from the timeline, as they insisted. The Waverider will be no more, as they insisted.

The Waverider’s destruction is inevitable whether she takes it or not, so she might as well use it to help her save Nyssa and her friends.

She’s already lost Laurel. She’s  _not_  losing anyone else - not her father, not Nyssa, not her friends.

If she has to go through the eye-of-the-needle loopholes in the rules of time, well… She’s already paying for the consequences of actually breaking time. One more loophole won’t hurt.

 _And even if it does_ , Sara muses, _Nyssa is more than worth it._

She’s going back for Nyssa, for her father, for her friends, just moments before the explosion. Any earlier, and she might give the Council of Timelines a chance to catch her and prematurely give her punishment of erasing her from the timeline. She even runs the risk of a worse punishment, if there ever is one. She’s broken time, stolen a timecraft, flouts their chosen interpretation of their rules. Surely, the Council must be seething.

Regardless, her window of opportunity is small, and she has to make the best of it. Lives precious to her hang in the balance.

As she desperately tries to reach them, Gideon narrates her people’s fate post Lian Yu’s explosion.

Her father, Felicity, and Thea Queen will be protected in the ARGUS bunker, which - while safe from the brunt of the explosions - will inevitably fill up with sea water as it trickles in slowly from the cracks. They and some of their companions will be trapped by the debris blocking the door. They’ll survive, but it will take them too long to get through to the supply ship, and the lack of timely medical attention means Quentin’s and Thea’s noise-induced hearing-loss will be permanent. Infection from their various cuts will also set in, and while not critical, will still make their return home much more difficult than it needs to be. If they don’t make it to a hospital in time - and Gideon says they won’t - Quentin’s leg with its infected cut might have to be amputated.

Nyssa will be injured, falling into the sea along with the collapsing cliff that she and Slade will be running on as they try to reach Oliver, and will bleed to death in the cold waters that that they first met in.

Oliver and his son will already be safe, using the boat’s maneuverability as an advantage while they try to search for survivors. They never end up finding Nyssa's body, and her beloved will rot away in the watery grave of Lian Yu.

Sara’s stomach turns at the sheer unfairness of it all. Her Beloved deserves so much more.

None of this should happen, if Sara's plan works.

Sara will do  _anything_. She’ll erase herself from Earth-1’s timeline gladly, as long as she gets to save them.

She  _needs_  to save her people.

Sara can’t exactly prevent the explosion or even their injuries, but she can make sure they reach the supply boat, and therefore,  _home_  much earlier. This means they’ll get the medical treatment they need in a more timely manner, and hopefully, none of their injuries will leave permanent damage.

She silently goes through that part of her plan, her focus razor sharp. After the bombs detonate, she needs to make sure they get to the bunkers early, clear their path to the boat, and then remove all the debris which will bury the doors to the prison bunker.

Her people will survive, as they already would in the original timeline. Just with a little less hurt, with an easier recovery.

It isn’t much, Sara admits to herself.

If only she could prevent this entire mess from even happening, but she can’t. Not anymore.

 _This_  is the most she can do for them without outright changing time drastically, and it will have to suffice. It _has_ to. That will be Sara’s parting gift to her father and their friends. Even if they never learn of it, it will be worth it.

Nyssa is another matter.

Her death is permanent in this timeline, Gideon grimly notes. Nyssa’s death and disappearance would be the catalyst for Talia to move to Gotham at a specific time, to birth Damian, who is destined for great things. Much like Laurel’s, Sara cannot move heaven and earth to bring her back - not without more consequences.

And her life right now is  _all_  about the consequences.

Nyssa’s disappearance from  _this timeline_  cannot be changed, as is Sara’s erasure from  _this timeline_  as punishment for breaking time. Sara knows this.

Good thing that Earth-1’s timeline isn’t the only existing one. An infinite number of Earths exist, with any one in particular that they can slip into and begin anew.

But before that promise of safety will be realized, Sara must clear the path for her father and their friends, retrieve enough herbs from Lian Yu to stop Nyssa from bleeding out, jump into the ocean while an entire island is crumbling to pieces to retrieve Nyssa’s injured body, and finally, leave this Earth entirely, never able to go back.

Surely, it’s an impossible task; peak human condition or not, Sara cannot do the impossible.

Or at least,  _not alone_.

But with the help of an interdimensional extrapolator and a friend with godly powers, their chances to pull this off will rise significantly.

Extrapolator in hand, Sara swiftly lands the Waverider one last time near the cliffs Nyssa will fall from. She caresses the console tenderly and whispers her goodbyes, thanks, and apologies to Gideon.

She runs out to obtain the necessary herbs and activates the comms on the extrapolator. “Kara, it’s me,” Sara breathes, putting all her effort into running. “It’s time. Just like we talked about.”

 

 

 

Time to let fate run its course, with certain loopholes.

Lian Yu inevitably explodes and crumbles all around her, but Sara ignores it, running forward to the cliffs and trusting Supergirl to quicken her people's arrival to the ARGUS bunker and make a safe path to the supply ship once the bombs stop detonating. If anyone can move massive rocks and debris around without breaking a sweat, it’s Kara, and Sara is confident enough in her abilities to entrust her people to her.

Nyssa, though… Her beloved saved her from Lian Yu all those years ago. Time to repay the favor.

As Sara plunges into the water, her only thoughts are of Nyssa.

She swims, pushes her body to the limit, her eyes open underwater despite the sting of saltwater until she finds her.

Nyssa’s breath bubbles out from her mouth, head lolled back as her unconscious body sinks with the rest of the debris. There are scratches along her arms and some on her face, presumably from the rocks. A branch is stuck through her left thigh, and her blood wisps out heavily around it.

More and more rocks crash around them. The sounds of the bombs are muted underwater, and the shockwaves can be felt this deep, though weakened by distance.

Just a little more until she reaches Nyssa.

A few more strokes of her tired arms, a few more kicks of her legs, and-

Finally, she hugs Nyssa’s limp body. With the last of her air, Sara kicks up to the surface for a much needed breath.

Sara gasps for oxygen, but notices in dismay that Nyssa doesn’t even move, even to breathe. Sara has expected this, but dared to hope otherwise.

With energy she barely even has, Sara maneuvers Nyssa on her side and onto a buoyant piece of debris, which looked like it was a door from a plane wreck. Sara wants to get on the floating metal; there’s certainly enough room for her. But she doesn’t think it would stay buoyant and floating with both their weights upon it.

As soon as Nyssa is turned onto her side, water drains out from her mouth and nose, and immediately Sara checks for a pulse. It’s weak, but still there, feebly thumping under Sara’s fingers, much to her relief. Still, Nyssa isn’t breathing yet. Sara turns Nyssa on her back, and tilts her head to open the airway. Sara gives her a rescue breath until Nyssa’s chest rises, and then gives her another breath. She repeats this until Nyssa’s breathing rhythm evens out.

All around Sara, an island continues to crumble and brings the Waverider with it, but she focuses on Nyssa’s breaths, feeling relief and gratefulness with each weak puff of air.

“It’s gonna be okay, Nyssa. I’m here,” she murmurs, affection lacing her tone.

With Nyssa’s breathing resumed, Sara breaks out a dagger to trim off the branch that pierced Nyssa’s thigh, and eventually removes it. She carefully but quickly places disinfecting herbs and clotting herbs against it, before compressing with a now-soaked bandage she prepared earlier. It won’t be enough, obviously. But she just needs it to hold until Kara can get them to safety.

 

 

 

It’s finally quiet; Lian Yu’s dying rumbles have faded.

Sara's hand holds Nyssa's like a lifeline. 

She's afraid.

Maybe what she did wasn't enough.

Maybe she messed up the timeline again.

Maybe Nyssa will die anyway, and Sara will be erased from the timeline without having given her Beloved a second chance at life.

Sara continues to stew in her thoughts, only grounded and kept going by Nyssa's steady breaths.

Moments later, Supergirl comes through, descending upon them like an angel.

“Are they okay?” Sara asks with anxiety.

Kara assures her, “They’re fine, Sara. I watched them walk out that bunker myself. A few scrapes, but nothing worse. Their path to the ship is clear, and I brought some first aid kits with me from the DEO to stock the ship with it. They’ll be okay.”

“Thank you, Kara,” she sighs in relief.

Sara’s head touches the metal door. Her adrenaline has run out, and her exhaustion knows no bounds.

Nyssa is safe, and so are her father and her friends.

She can leave this Earth behind in peace.

“C’mon,” Supergirl begins, as she descends into the water and lifts Sara onto the door. She carries Nyssa and Sara within it like they weigh little more than a feather. “Let’s get you home.”

With one press of the extrapolator, Sara Lance and Nyssa Raatko leave Earth-1 behind, never to be seen again.

 

 

Nyssa wakes slowly.

She is in some pain, that much she knows, but it is a manageable level. Her eyes feel heavy, though. So do her limbs. Movement is difficult.

Had she been captured? She can feel none of her weapons on her person. An annoying beeping sound consistently makes itself known.

She feels clean and dry, but she only can feel the thin cotton of a hospital gown and a blanket, with none of her armor. There are IV drips attached to her, and she can feel the weight of an oxygen mask on her face. What had hap-

_The island!_

Through the fuzz of the painkillers, memories start to finally come back.

Nyssa gets flashes of urging the others to run to the bunker, she and Slade running to help Oliver, the rumbling of the earth as the bombs detonated and the island crashed around her, the pain of being struck with falling debris, the chill of the water and the subsequent sting as she inhaled it with her reflexive gasp of fear and surprise…

How did she survive?

Her eyelids feel so heavy, but with all her will she forces them open, only to close them back again. The room is too bright. But her brief glimpse gave her some clues. A hospital, or a medical facility of some sort - pale, sterile walls, a window with blinds closed, an uncomfortable looking chair with familiar blonde locks peeking out from under blankets.

_Could it be…?_

_Is that…_

_…Sara?_

Nyssa could feel her heartbeat quicken at the notion, and the annoying beeping sound matches its pace exactly.

She opened her eyes again, for a little longer this time, and sneaks another peek, the mysterious figure seems to have awoken at the beep’s change of pace, stirring and beginning to sit up.

The glare of the lights asserts itself again, and Nyssa closes her eyes.

“Nyssa?” a sleep-addled voice croaks out.

Her Habibti’s voice.

_This must be a dream._

The door opens, and Sara calls out to someone. “I think Nyssa’s waking up!”

Nyssa can hear the hope in her voice, the excitement. She can feel tears begin to well up her closed eyes. It’s been so long since she heard her beloved’s voice, since she last heard Sara say her name with love and affection.

The click of sensible boots across the tiled floor is audible, getting nearer and nearer until a woman whose voice she does not recognize speaks. “Vital signs normal, heart rate a bit elevated compared to earlier, but still normal. Ms. Raatko? Can you hear me?”

She can hear Sara walk near her bed and sit at her left side, but the heaviness she feels impedes her desired response. This close, she can almost feel her warmth.

Sara takes her hand gently and squeezes. Her thumb rubs the back of Nyssa’s hand. Her other hand combs through her hair just the way she likes it.

It’s so  _tender._

Tenderness has been absent from her life for so long.

She has never thought that she will have even a fraction of this ever again.

Nyssa tries to squeeze back, but all she can manage are a few twitches of fingers.

“Alex, she moved! I could feel it.”

Sara raises Nyssa’s hand and places a soft kiss on the back of her hand as she watches Nyssa with hope. Her gaze feels warm on Nyssa’s skin, and despite the distance between them all those years, Nyssa is happy that she can see those affectionate blues within her mind’s eye, clear as day.

“I didn’t expect her to wake this early, the sedative normally knocks people out for 10 hours, not 6,” the other voice, Alex, comments. Nyssa can hear her tapping on a tablet.

The heaviness she feels in her body is still present, but she forces her eyes to open once again, letting a few drops of tears escape. She meets Sara’s concerned and hopeful warm blues, determined to see her beloved again after being without her for what felt like an eternity.

“Hab-“ she tries to croak out, but her mouth and throat are much too dry.

‘Alex’ comes into view on her other side, carrying a glass of water with a straw for her to drink from. The short haired woman with kind eyes gently pulls her oxygen mask down and shifts the bed up to lift her head.

Nyssa sips carefully, never taking her eyes from Sara’s, noting the dark circles and the tired pallor with sadness. All the while, Sara never lets go of her hand, continuing to rub the back of her hand with comforting strokes of her thumb.

“Habibti…” Nyssa breathes out once she’s done.

“You’re safe now, Nyssa,” Sara promises. "I'm here, Habibti."

Nyssa attempts to sit up, this  _seems_  real, but she _needs_ -

Sara embraces her carefully, yet eagerly, not letting her sit up just yet. Nyssa cannot exactly lift her arms to return it, no matter how much she wants to. Sara rubs her back, whispers words of assurance.

All Nyssa’s still healing body could do is nuzzle into Sara’s warm neck, inhaling the comforting scent that’s plain Sara, but that’s more than enough, she thinks.

For so long, Nyssa had resigned herself to only visiting a cold grave, and then an empty one. Then, after Sara’s visit to her cell in Nanda Parbat, she had resigned herself to the relieving knowledge that Sara,  _her Sara_ , not the being gripped with bloodlust, had been returned to life, and had been freed of the restrictive world of being an assassin, free to pursue her heart’s desire without the burden of more blood on her hands, free from the mess that was Nyssa’s life.

Back then, she had been content to know that Sara was finally alive and free.

To now realize that Sara is truly back, hugging her close, calling her  _Habibti_ …

More tears drop from her eyes and into Sara’s clothes. With Sara’s scent and warmth all around her, Nyssa feels more relaxed than she has in years. She feels the heaviness return in stronger waves, fights to keep her consciousness, but she knows she’s failing.

Yet she feels Sara’s lips kiss her forehead as she gently lays her back down, and finds that she does not mind succumbing to her needs.

As she drifts off into peaceful rest, she feels another squeeze of her hand and another gentle kiss.

 

 

 

“She’s gonna be okay, right?”

“She’ll heal just fine,” Alex promises. “Physical therapy will be needed for her thigh, but I’m confident she’ll regain full functionality. For now, she needs rest. And frankly, so do you. Go get a shower. I’ll have Vasquez get you some clothing, and we can put a cot here in Nyssa’s room.”

“Thank you so much, Alex.” Sara rubs her tired eyes, already aching for actual rest after a long day.

“Don’t mention it.”

 

 

The shower helps. It is late enough at night that no other agents are in and the massive shower room feels empty and echoey with just her in a small cubicle near the end. It’s warm and the soap smells good, and it feels nice to get all the seawater out of her hair and skin. If she spends several minutes longer under the hot spray, no one can blame her. She’s had a long day.

When she gets out, Sara is surprised to find unopened boxes of new clothes near her stall. She didn’t even hear anyone come in. The loose training pants and cotton t-shirt feel comfortable, as do the sports underwear that came with them, though she skips the bra for now. There are plain slip-on shoes included, which she’s pleased to notice are soft and in her size.

She takes her time toweling her hair off and thinking about the day she’s had, as well as the new life she and Nyssa are about to face.

For the first time, now that she’s far away from the tunnel vision-like resolve to accomplish her reckless mission, Sara feels a pit of fear and apprehension coil in her stomach.

She has been so focused on just saving Nyssa and her people that she has ignored the fact that she just left her entire _world_ behind for another one.

Sure, it’s the same planet, but there are enough not-so-minute differences here that makes it seem like an alien planet, least of all the existence of actual aliens.

For one, Quentin Lance of Earth-38 had never married and had died in 1986, defending a school from a mass shooter. Her mother - and consequently, Laurel and Sara herself – seems to have never existed in this Earth, the tech guy named Winn told her earlier as she anxiously waited outside the med-bay.

The Gambit had still gone down, but Oliver Queen’s body had been recovered and buried while Robert Queen remains and drowns his sorrows in a bottle. Thea seems to have been hardened by this and is in college working to uphold what's left of her family’s legacy.

No signs of the Diggles, or of Felicity, or Sin. Her team also seems to be gone. It’s possible they just have a different name here, Winn had offered. But Sara doesn’t dare hope.

There seems to be no League here, no Nanda Parbat, and consequently, no hidden caches across the world with different passports and wads of currency she can use to get back up.

Sara Lance, in Earth-38, does not exist yet.

Sara Lance has neither money nor a property to her name, no birth certificate, no social security number, no passport, no college degree, no other set of clothes but the ones she arrived in, no other items except a dagger and a few damp Lian Yu herbs left over. Nyssa has about the same.

They don’t have a home to get back to.

They don’t have anything.

But Sara has Nyssa, and the knowledge that her people are safe now. That’s more than enough for her. With Nyssa by her side, she'd gladly claw her way back up.

She hopes her sister can see her all the way across a new dimension. She hopes Laurel is proud of her.

Right now, she hopes even more fervently that Nyssa doesn’t hate her for taking her away from her world without asking.

It was a selfish decision, Sara acknowledges. But one she cannot help but not be sorry for. A world where Nyssa is dead is not something she wants to contemplate.

And yet she fears, would Nyssa even want to begin life anew with the shell of her beloved?

She is not the same Sara Lance that Nyssa had loved, Sara admits to herself.

She is the Sara Lance that willingly left her to rot in Nanda Parbat. When Nyssa needed her most, she left for a new adventure.

When Nyssa had needed her most, she set Sara free of this fight, because she loved  _her_  Habibti enough to set her free.

And this Sara now repays her by taking her some place strange, 38 dimensions away.

She dreads telling Nyssa.

And yet she can’t wait to talk to her again and hear her voice, to meet her gaze with love and respect and devotion and  _trust._

Sara cannot wait for Nyssa’s calloused hands to gently cup her face and brush the hair out of her eyes like old times, for Nyssa’s warm hug and soft lips to meet hers.

Sara squashes that thought for now. They have too much to get through first before resuming their relationship, assuming Nyssa would even want something like that.

She sighs and grabs the broad comb that came with her clothes to tame her messy blonde locks. For now, it’s time for a nap.

 

 

 

It’s easier to move the next time Nyssa wakes.

Her eyes open easily, with only the faintest of sleep needing to be rubbed away. The oxygen mask is gone, and there’s a conveniently placed water bottle with a straw on the bedside table, which she takes advantage of immediately.

Her ribs still feel bruised, her left thigh aches something fierce, and she is sure she is cathetered, but otherwise, she feels well.

The light has been dimmed, with only a soft yellow nightlight plugged near the door of what she assumes is the bathroom. She can see Sara on a cot beside her, mouth slightly agape as she sleeps.

Nyssa feels her lips twitch into a smile. It has been too long since she has seen this sight. Like all things Sara, she has missed it terribly, and her heart feels light to have Sara so close again.

Despite this relieving sight, this place is strange and unfamiliar, and Nyssa wants to be on guard.

But seeing her Taer al Asfer so unguarded like this – legs half out the blanket, mouth agape, which only happens in the deepest of sleeps, it makes her feel safe. If Sara could let her walls down in this place, then she must be among friends.

There is no clock here, and Nyssa has been unconscious far too long to reliably judge the time internally, but the burgeoning noise outside tells her it is morning.

Her stomach grumbles, but she ignores it. She will gladly postpone sating her hunger for a few more peaceful moments like this. Watching Sara sleep had been one of her most cherished pleasures in life.

The rhythmic rise and fall of Sara’s chest, the way she scratched at her cheek sometimes, her sleepy mumbles – all treasured memories for Nyssa.

She does not know how long she commits this sight to memory, but soon enough, her beloved stirs and meets her soft gaze with a smile.

“Good morning, Nyssa,” she whispers, voice sleep-rough and pleasant.

“Good morning, Habibti,” she whispers back, silently offering her water bottle.

How long has it been since they’ve last said a simple good morning? It feels like a lifetime ago.

Sara takes her bottle and sips from her straw without hesitation, though Nyssa notes with a familiar slight exasperation that Sara has bitten her straw yet again.

“How are you feeling?”

“I am well now that you are here,” Nyssa says with a smile.

Sara’s lips twitch into a grin, and there’s another sight Nyssa had missed.

Sara’s eyes rove all over her healing body, as if committing it to memory, as if she cannot believe she is right here.

It is something Nyssa understands.

“Are  _you_ well, Taer al Asfer?”

“Perfect, now that you’re here.”

They share a grin.

They have missed each other’s smile.

“I missed you, Nyssa.”  _Every moment of every day, I missed us._

“And I you, Habibti.”

Nyssa sees Sara’s little shiver, pleased to hear her call her Beloved once again.

Sara gives in to the urge to be nearer, sitting at the foot of her bed and holding Nyssa’s hand with a small smile.

“I… have something important to tell you, Nys,” she begins anxiously. “But first, what do you remember?”

 

 

 

Kara shifts nervously in the hallway, with a massive box of breakfast takeout from Noonan’s. Sara and her girlfriend Nyssa had such a trying ordeal yesterday, and they have to build their life in this new dimension from scratch.

It’s a frightening thing to adjust to - their world, but not  _their_  world. New things to adapt to, familiar and similar things that are not exactly the same, a different history, the loss of contact with their people… they’re human, but the experience is somewhat similar and Kara understands.

That is a void that will follow them as they rebuild their life.

Kara resolves to do her best to help them adjust.

But first, breakfast.

…which will probably have to wait because it seems like they’re having a Serious discussion inside.

She’s taken to tuning her super hearing away to something else, to give them a bit of privacy, and it entertains her for a while. She starts with Alex’s heartbeat, steady and strong upstairs in the labs, then Winn’s, upbeat and consistent as he writes code in the main hub, to James’ resting heartbeat as he sits in his office writing emails, to Lena’s coffee-erratic heartbeat as she tinkers with yet another new design. Rinse. Repeat. Listen for any emergencies just in case. She repeats the cycle a couple more times until she hears Sara mentioning getting food and rising from the bed.

And that’s her cue to knock.

“Sara!” Kara greets with a hug. “Good morning! I brought breakfast,” she beams, handing her the takeout.

As if on cue, both her new human friends’ stomachs grumble.

“Seems like I’m right on time.” Kara enters and easily drags the end table near the bed so they can eat with Nyssa.

“Hi, I’m Kara Danvers, you must be Nyssa! Sara’s told me a lot about you.”

Nyssa shakes her hand with a smile. “Indeed I am. It is a pleasure to meet you. Sara tells me you are one to thank for my timely rescue. It is very much appreciated, Ms. Danvers.”

“Please, call me Kara.”

“Then you must call me Nyssa.”

"And you must call me hungry, because those pancakes smell really good. Not to be rude, but can we please eat?” Sara pouts at them.

Kara laughs in delight and Nyssa barely even tries to suppress an exasperated smile and fond shake of her head at her beloved’s manners.

 

 

 

They engage in small talk, and Nyssa finds that she likes this overly excitable hero.

She emits kindness and positivity in waves. An uncommon trait found in such a fierce warrior, she is sure… at least, for the kind of warriors she is used to facing.

But it is a trait she admires.

She was grateful to note that Sara’s father and their friends had also been set on the path to safety and recovery, in large part thanks to Kara.

She nibbles on the fluffy pancakes quietly, enjoying Kara and Sara’s lighthearted conversation. She chips in when prompted, but her mind is admittedly elsewhere.

She is in another world. Another Earth.

She can never go back to her original world.

And it is a strange feeling to know that she would have surely died just several hours ago, in the same island that she had met her beloved. Her hard-fought life, snuffed out as easily as a candle - a casualty.

It is… difficult, to say the least, to give a name for the emotions she feels. Shame, that she had not died in battle? Anger, that she had perished quite so easily? Though anger directed at whom, she does not know. Relief, that her fight is over, that she can begin anew? Apprehension, that she cannot even begin to comprehend a life without the next battle? She is no longer an assassin; there are _no_ assassins in this world, and for the next half-year, she must be in physical therapy for her leg, made to stay home as much as possible, wherever home is.

She was Nyssa al Ghul, Heir to the Demon, then Head of the Demon, who was once in possession of vast wealth and property, and various fake identities.

Now, she is just Nyssa Raatko: not a cent to her name and no dwelling to speak of - not even the clothes that were on her back, as those were far too damaged. Maybe the knife in her boot had survived? She does not know.

Nyssa has nothing.

But Sara is with her, holding her hand, laughing, and gazing at her with warm blue eyes pouring with affection.

Nyssa has everything.

She has avoided the claws of death.

There is no battle to fight – no League Civil War, no more of Oliver’s messes.

Sara has no other commitment either, having, for all intents and purposes, been erased from that Earth’s timeline, and has expressed her desire to stay by her side and build a life with her, here in this strange new world.

She is alive and Sara is with her.

That is more than enough for her to be happy.

 

 

 

Nyssa tunes back in just in time to hear Kara end her lovably awkward ramble.

“…and just… I- I know what it’s like,” she says, nudging her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “I lost my homeworld, Krypton, too. All my people, all our history, just… gone. Kal and I are the only ones left, and even he is- well. Just, if you need to talk, like, ever. I’m one call away. Like, you don’t even need a phone. As long as you’re within the city, I can hear you call my name.”

Nyssa nods and smiles. “Thank you very much, Kara. For breakfast, too.”

“Yeah, Kara! We’ll have to do this again some time.” Sara wipes a bit of pancake syrup from her lips with a napkin.

“Of course! I have to show you guys around too. We’ll make a day of it. Maybe introduce you to a better sports team,” Kara says playfully.

Sara gasps in faux offense before the two of them erupt into giggles.

Sara is happy. Sara is safe. Sara is with her, and they have new friends.

Nyssa can get used to this.

 

 

 

After Kara’s visit, Nyssa’s still healing body falls into a post-breakfast nap.

When she next wakes, Sara is holding her and stroking her hair, just like she used to do in Nanda Parbat.

Some things won’t change, even as every other thing does, and Nyssa is reassured.

Sara is her constant. Her North Star. Her Beloved.

She shifts and turns to face Sara, mindful of the wires still attached to her person. She needs to see her too.

Sara is awake and staring at her like she’s the aurora on a dark night, with wonder and awe, as if the sight of Nyssa waking up in her arms is worthy of praise.

“Watching you wake up in my arms is the best moment of my day,” she murmurs.

Sara cannot say those three little words directly. Not yet. 

They have a lot to settle, still - a deep well of hurt and insecurities, and all the things that kept them apart all these years.

But it is important that they both _know_. It is enough… 

For now.

Now, they have time. They have peace. They have safety.

“Mhm. We must make it a habit of ours then.” Nyssa smiles, stroking Sara’s cheek.

Now, they have each other for all mornings to come.

They have everything.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, it's 4am here, I have exams, and I fell into a pit of Nyssara feels because of Caity's IG post.  
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it :)
> 
> If you did, please do drop me some kudos and tell me what you liked :)
> 
> Edit: 16 July - fixed some typos and dangling modifiers. If ya find anything I missed, please let me know :) Clarified some paragraphs and ended up adding 300 words, was originally 5.4k, now 5.7k.  
> 19 July - Thank you so much for the love! I have more in store for this universe and more happiness in the works for Nyssara. They deserve it <3 Please subscribe to the series if you are interested. :)


End file.
